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July 01, 2026
 

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RENEWABLES

An EV car owner charges his vehicle at a charging station in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in February.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Mar 26, 2026
U.S.-Israeli war on Iran pushes consumers to reconsider fossil fuel alternatives
Consumers are responding to one of the largest disruptions in global oil markets by embracing low-carbon technologies that promise lower bills.
A hydrogen-powered hotel in Namie, Fukushima Prefecture, on Wednesday
JAPAN
Mar 26, 2026
World’s first hydrogen-powered hotel opens in Fukushima Prefecture
The town where the hotel is located is also home to one of the world’s largest hydrogen production bases.
Oil storage containers and facilities in Germany. The cost of the EU's fossil fuel imports has risen by €6 billion since the start of the Iran war, putting massive upward pressure on the continent’s power prices.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Mar 19, 2026
Iran war energy shock sparks global push to reduce fossil fuel dependence
Ideas include expanding nuclear energy and renewables, growing strategic stockpiles and domestic production, and diversifying foreign sources of supply.
Sanae Takaichi and Donald Trump meet in Tokyo for a summit in October. Japan’s fossil fuel investments tied to deals with the United States show Takaichi’s government favoring legacy energy over renewables.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 8, 2026
Takaichi and Trump are natural fossil fuel buddies — or are they?
More than a third of Southeast Asia’s coal power finance between 2016 and 2024 came from Japanese banks, and more than a fifth of gas.
An oil refinery in Texas. The war in the Middle East has roiled oil and gas markets, however, falling prices of solar and batteries offer another option.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Mar 6, 2026
How fossil fuel disruptions lead to booms in solar and batteries
The war in the Middle East has roiled oil and gas markets. Under a severe scenario, one estimate says that crude could reach $108 a barrel.
A newly built and yet to open Tesla Supercharger station in Lost Hills, California, on Feb. 5
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Feb 25, 2026
What Trump’s new tariffs mean for climate tech
The Supreme Court’s recent ruling is good news for companies like Tesla, which have seen production costs soar since last.
Despite claims that solar growth has peaked, strong demand and technology adoption suggest the boom will continue, though silver use in panels may eventually decline.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 22, 2026
Silver’s surge suggests a brighter future for solar
Much of the recent run-up can be explained by a shift toward TOPCon, a new solar technology that requires more silver.
Sister Gertrudis gives thanks to God in front of a new solar panel system installed at a nursing home run by the Catholic Church in the Guanabacoa neighborhood of Havana on Feb. 4.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Feb 11, 2026
Charcoal or solar panels? A tale of two Cubas
Cuba was already struggling through its worst crisis in decades when the U.S. overthrew Cuban ally Nicolas Maduro and halted Venezuela’s oil shipments to the island nation.
Offshore wind turbines off the coast in Clacton On Sea, U.K., on Dec. 30, 2024. Once completed in 2027, Sunrise Wind's turbines at a wind farm developed by Denmark-based Orsted are set to deliver enough energy to power more than 600,000 homes in New York.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Feb 3, 2026
Trump’s offshore wind ban blocked for fifth time by U.S. judge
Orsted’s wind farms and three others off the East Coast were halted Dec. 22 by the Interior Department, which said the projects posed national security risks it didn’t disclose.
A model by the Fukushima Hydrogen Energy Research Field explaining the process for generating hydrogen.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy / OUR PLANET
Feb 2, 2026
Why renewable powerhouse Fukushima is also pursuing hydrogen
Since the nuclear disaster, Fukushima has become a powerhouse for renewables in Japan. But the prefecture is still pursuing hydrogen as a key cog for the energy transition.
Wind turbines at the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm, off the coast of the Guerande peninsula in western France, on Oct. 2, 2025
WORLD / Politics
Jan 27, 2026
Northern European nations plan more wind power in bid for energy independence
Hamburg summit comes as Europe not only faces a hostile Russia but also worries about the future strength of transatlantic ties and U.S. designs on Greenland.
A large-scale solar project near Hokkaido's Kushiro Wetlands is driving a surge in land donations to a local environmental trust, as residents try to keep their property out of the hands of developers.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Jan 26, 2026
Land donations surge near Kushiro Wetlands amid megasolar controversy
A local environmental trust has seen a large uptick in land donations from residents seeking to keep their property out of developers’ hands.
Employees handle solar wafers at the Tata Power 4.3 GW Solar Cell and Module Manufacturing Plant in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, India, in 2024.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Jan 26, 2026
India’s solar-panel boom: Full throttle today, uncertain tomorrow
With the twin imperatives of development and lower carbon emissions, India has set itself ambitious renewable energy targets.
An employee works at a solar cells and modules manufacturing facility in India. The nation is electrifying faster than China did when it was at similar levels of economic development, according to a new report from the think tank Ember.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Jan 23, 2026
India is using cheap green tech to electrify faster than China
The nation is electrifying faster and using fewer fossil fuels per capita than China did when it was at similar levels of economic development, a think tank says.
A solar farm in Nakai, Kanagawa Prefecture, in March 2016. Japan gets about a tenth of its electricity from solar panels despite having nearly no domestic production of photovoltaics (PVs).
ENVIRONMENT / Energy / OUR PLANET
Jan 18, 2026
Beijing row highlights need for Japan to reduce cleantech dependence on China
To reach net zero, Japan will need to rapidly expand renewables, but its solar manufacturing capacity is virtually non-existent despite it being a pioneer of the technology.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a news conference at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Dec. 17. Over her short two months in office, Takaichi has emphasized the restart of aging nuclear reactors and developing futuristic — but not yet commercially viable — technologies like nuclear fusion.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy / OUR PLANET
Jan 4, 2026
With a focus on nuclear power, Takaichi’s energy policy takes shape
As she settles into the nation’s top office, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s energy policy is quickly coming into focus and nuclear power stands at the forefront.
In 2025, overlooked climate challenges included the warming effects of reduced pollution, stalled progress in green hydrogen and rising financing costs for renewables.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 30, 2025
Here’s the bad climate news you missed this year
The current renewables boom will need to prove those fossil plants superfluous, and quickly, if we want to stop them getting built.
Earlier this month, the central government announced plans to introduce a system that would require third-party organizations to verify the safety of megasolar projects before construction begins.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Dec 22, 2025
Hokkaido governor sharpens stance against megasolar development
Gov. Naomichi Suzuki’s decision to toughen up on the sector comes amid growing local backlash against several projects in Hokkaido.
Solar panels power an environmentally friendly mosque in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana. Japanese companies are supporting green energy projects across Central Asia, promoting renewable power, climate resilience and sustainable development.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 10, 2025
Japan should unveil a ‘Green Master Plan’ for Central Asia
Japanese companies are driving green energy projects across Central Asia, advancing renewable power, climate resilience and sustainable development.
A coal-fired power plant in Shanghai. China’s on track for another year of record mine output.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Dec 10, 2025
Energy demand boom keeps Asia tethered to coal
Concerns over energy security and costs are trumping the climate agenda in the region’s high-growth, high-polluting economies.
Uruguay federation reportedly cancels charter flight after World Cup exit
Uruguay's Jose Maria Gimenez reacts after the team's loss against Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
Yen hits 40-year low against the dollar, breaking ¥162 level
Japan's currency broke ¥162 to the dollar on Tuesday in Tokyo.
Japan falls in gut-wrenching fashion as Brazil strikes late to win World Cup clash
Brazil's Gabriel Martinelli (right) shoots past Japan defenders Shogo Taniguchi (left) and Takehiro Tomiyasu to score in the second half of a match in the round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Houston on Monday.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.
‘The colors speak for themselves’: How Japan’s chroma bible went global
“A Dictionary of Color Combinations” is meant to function as a quick-reference guide for artists, designers and anyone with a passing interest in aesthetics as a quantifiable pursuit.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

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